Another exciting day in Saigon. It was hot. Probably about plus 34. I am now sitting at a corner local restaurant. It is 7pm ant the sweat is pouring from by body. In front of me is a dear old friend. .( see picture)I am waiting for another old friend Hau. He was the person I used to book the tours that we took to Halong bay in 2009. Since then, he has become a friend and I will be doing business with him. He is a bit of a party animal, so I do not know what tonight may bring. The plan is to go to the airport and pick up yet another friend of mine who is flying in from Washington.
It is now seven hours later. I had a great time. Hau picked me up and we went to a seafood restaurant near the airport to wait for Ken;s flight. We were joined by a bunch of people who operate the busses for tours in Vietnam…. A great bunch of guys. The snails were excellent and I ate and drank too much as usual. I think it is pretty safe to say that I was the first
westerner ever to sit and party at that place. It is now 1:30 am here. We safely returned to the hotel with Ken and now I am tipsy and exhausted. I will go to sleep and carry on tomorrow..
This morning I have a bit of a headache…. I have no idea why 😉 Yesterday started of typically with my morning coffee and a bit of blogging, and at lunch I met up
with Charles. I took him to the Doner Kebeb stand for a sandwich. He agrees with me that it is one of the best sandwiches ever. I blogged about it in December, so look back if you want more on the sandwich. We joked quite a bit about the fact he was Vietnamese, but it was I showing him around and helping him to deal with the people. He has been gone a long
time and is a little nervous here. I think I have helped him lose some of his fears. He will be back to NhaTrang and I will see him again.
The demand for my business cards is so great here, that I ran to a print shop and had one hundred made while I waited. I can now send traffic my way. They did a very good job at
copying the card I had with me. I then grabbed a Xe om ( motorcycle taxi) and headed downtown to do a little shopping. I was able to track down a particular perfume that my wife likes, although there is a chance it is counterfeit. We will see. In my wanderings, I met up with a woman named Hoa. She speaks excellent English due to her involvement
with the Americans. Unfortunately for her, her property downtown was confiscated in the 70’s, and has since lived in a small rented room. She makes her living by hanging around downtown and offering to show tourists around. She also helps then not to get ripped off. She accepts any money or food you offer her. I myself gave her a little money and bought her a coffee, she was worth it. I will see her again when in Saigon. Again, I grabbed a Xe om and headed back to my hotel for a drink before Hau came to collect me. And then…….PARTY ON!! It was fun
and I have a few photo’s attached. Now a little bit about Xe om
Motorcycle taxis are everywhere here. They are usually hardened men you will see sitting at the roadside looking as if they are there to pick your pocket. They look
mean, but generally they are a good bunch of people and you can rely on them to go everywhere. A short ride to anywhere you want to go within a reasonable distance is 10,000 Dong. For further distances 20,000. It is a fast and reliable way to travel. I used to go by taxi, but have found this mode of travel much more efficient. Do not be afraid to use them if in Vietnam.
As usual, this blog was very rushed. I am posting it without correcting any mistakes…… sooooooo…… If I sound like I am babbling…..Ah!! whatever…..